Elisa's special year

Synopsis

Eighteen year-old Elisa is going to take a year off and go abroad to discover herself and discover a whole new world. She has decided to become an eco-volunteer in a “gap year” project. The gap year is an Anglo-Saxon concept which has also taken root in France. The volunteers take a break from their studies to go abroad and spend a few months as a volunteer in an aid project. We are at the directorate of Thailand’s Ko Phi Phi National Park, southeast of Phuket. The region was devastated by the 2004 tsunami, and everything has been rebuilt too fast for the tourist industry. An eco-volunteer project is trying to save the region’s natural resources. Elisa will join a score of young students from around the world and get a direct experience of the tasks of ecologists – diving down to the coral reefs or getting involved in Thai schools.